Re-activating Dormant Starter

[pizzanapoletana]

Starting a more positive post ;-)

I just wanted to share that I recently reactivated all my three different starters that had been dormant in the fridge between 9 and 14 months...

Well, with a bit of patiance, I managed to re-activate them within 5 days (one at the time, so it took me three weeks overall) and are now all three back to their best and have maintained all their different quality (smell, taste and levening power).

I hope it serve as encouragement to people that wrote to me in the past telling me to have lost their  starters by leaving them for too long without refreshing.

Ciao

[andreguidon]

i had one for 3 months that came back to life, but 9 an 14 months... WOW !!

[CAPSLOCK]

Awesome! Now my lazy butt is going to get up and try to revive that "thing" in the back of my fridge, I think it's pissed though about being #2, we'll see 

[PizaJim]

Care to share your tips/techniques?

[Pizza Journey]

You seem to be an expert and so I will ask you......Over the last year we have baked and eaten a  hundred or so pizzas baked on a pizza stone (4 down and a "real one" on order) and have baked them in a barbeque at 900º and in the kitchen oven at 550º. We have created wonderful rustic crusts and Napoletana style Margherita pizzas and every kind in between. The family loves them!

Now on to the challenge of using an Italian sourdough. I  started this culture Saturday/Easter Sunday at midnight.  I followed Mr. Wood's instructions, but I am confused. It overflowed once and I split the batch and fed it as directed. It is now sitting pretty at 70º and is a bit bubbly on top. But....how do I know when it is "fully active"? I am very eager to use it.

I am confused because the instruction pamphlet says it should have 2 inches of foam, but his book says it should foam up and touch the lid before it is active. So... did I miss my chance when it foamed over the first time?It never smelled bad.

[Bill/SFNM]

I'd just keep feeding it regularly for a few more days. It should be very foamy within a few hours after feeding. "Fully active" can take a while as the organisms get accustomed to their new environment and achieve equilibrium. It may be "usable" now, but it will get better over time.